Truth Will Out
by quall339
Summary: El Parker's death and a kidnapping force Neal's childhood out into the open. Rated for Subject Matter
1. Chapter 1

I don't own White Collar, but I enjoy the show.

This is completely AU starting with his encounter with E Parker. He was not in WITSEC in this story. He has a history with Ellen Parker, but it will be different from canon. Also, his father is not a dirty cop in this story like Neal claimed in season 2. He did spend time with her before she was killed, and she was still murdered in this story. It starts a few days after her death.

Chapter 1

It was just another day in the White Collar Unit for Peter when he was called to the conference room by Hughes. Stepping outside his office, he glanced out into the bullpen and noticed his CI watching him closely. Peter laughed a little at the look on Neal's face, which resembled a child being told he couldn't sit at the grown up table. Neal caught Peter's eye and gave him a questioning look. Peter shrugged because he had no idea why Hughes called him into the conference room and not Neal. As his CI they usually sit through these meetings together for Neal's perspective on whatever the crime involved and to develop a plan of action.

He also knew that both he and Neal were treading very thin ice since the return from Cape Verde. While he was just reinstated to White Collar division, he knew he had to walk a very thin tightrope to make sure the higher ups were not given any more reason to question his ability to solve cases. Peter thought maybe this was one of those changes. CI's generally were not privy to all case information, so maybe they were expecting Caffrey to be treated like any other CI and not the friend/partner he has come to respect over the years. Peter thought this was a bad idea because he needed to get Neal on a case that could get his mind off of his recent loss. The day before he stood by Neal as he mourned the loss of Ellen, who seemed important to Neal and played a key role in his childhood. Peter still was not fully aware of the details but hoped that Neal would trust him enough to open up instead of shutting him out while hunting down her killer by himself. Shaking these thoughts from his mind, he took his eyes off Neal and entered the conference room.

He entered the conference room and was surprised and slightly annoyed to see Agent Kimberly Rice sitting on the far side of the table discussing something quietly with Hughes. Peter stills gets angry when he remembers how Rice was willing to sacrifice Neal in order to solve a kidnapping case. He knew he looked as annoyed as he felt as he said, "What is missing persons doing here?"

His words silenced everyone in the room. Jones and Diana sat on one side of the table, their confusion evident as they wondered the same thing. Rice had the decency to look ashamed seeing Peter for the first time since their last collaboration. The 2 agents with Rice remained stoic and serious while Hughes sighed and in an uncharacteristically quiet voice said, "You're going to want to sit down for this one, Peter."

Peter's mind flew into overdrive at the possibilities and the seriousness in Hughes's voice and demeanor. Was something wrong with El? Why isn't Neal here? Does it have to do with him? A dozen scenarios jumped into his mind as he took a seat near Diana and waited for Rice to start her report.

Kimberly Rice surveyed the room, dreading the news she had to share. She glanced out of the glass doorway and could see Neal Caffrey trying his best to peek in without being obvious. She knew he would be brought in sooner than he will want, but this meeting needed to take place first. Taking a deep breath, she began.

"3 days ago NYPD reported a missing child. While this doesn't usually trigger an FBI response, it coincided with a murder that took place of someone you may be familiar with."

She pulled up the picture on her laptop and displayed it on the big screen. She saw and heard Peter's intake of breath as he recognized the woman on the screen.

"Her current name is Ellen Parker, and she had been living here for the last 10 years. When we tried to find next of kin, we found nothing. Ellen Parker did not exist prior to 2002. So we started digging a little more and found this."

Rice pulled open another screen showing a significantly younger looking Ellen Parker.

"This is Marilyn Taggert. She was last reported to be in Cleveland, OH but resided mostly in St. Louis, MO. She red flagged in our system after we discovered an alleged connection to this man, Damon Taggert."

Another picture on the screen got everyone's attention in the room. Damon Taggert's picture has been a fixture on the walls of the FBI for over 25 years as the leader of a child prostitution ring in the U.S who has never been caught or even seen since 1982, although his crimes have held a high (and young) body count. The case was mandatory study at Quantico, and even Peter remembers looking at this case. It was the reason he chose white collar crime over violent crime. The pictures of his discovered victims were burned in his brain, even over 15 years later.

"Okay, so this woman is found dead in New York and had connections to Taggert. What does this have to do with White Collar?" Peter pressed on. He didn't want to spend any more time thinking about the images that were stepping into the forefront of his memories.

Rice hesitated, knowing the next part of the story would not be pleasant. "Your CI also has connections to Ellen Parker/Marilyn Taggert."

The realization was a slap in the face for Peter. Of course Neal was involved somehow. He temporarily forgot the connection between Neal and Ellen after seeing Taggert's mug pop up on the screen, but now a sense of dread started to fill him as he realized the possible implications.

Peter looked around the room. Diana and Jones sat with expressions of dread, not wanting to know the connection. Hughes had the same expression on his face that he had when Peter entered the room, having already been briefed on the primary points of this meeting. This was not a surprise for him, but based on his expression Peter knew it was going to get worse. Rice looked almost regretful of having to share the information, like it was difficult for her as well. Perhaps Neal did gain her respect on the Wilkes case, Peter mused.

"So you want to talk to Neal about any possible connection to Taggert?" Peter asked, trying to get to the point before his imagination took off and he ran out to drag Neal back to prison for aiding a rapist/murder.

"That is why I wanted to meet with you first, Agent Burke" Rice continued. "We now suspect that Taggert was the kidnapper of our child in midtown 3 days ago, and witnesses described a man matching Taggert's description fleeing the scene after Parker's murder. We think that Caffrey has information about Taggert and his past crimes. Ellen Parker's death was an execution, and since she and Caffrey have a history together we started to wonder just how far back that history went."

Peter snorted, "Good luck with that. I hunted Neal for 3 years and could never find a thing about him prior to his 18th birthday when he came to New York City."

"And that was what, about 10 years ago? Correct Agent Burke? The same year Ellen Parker arrived in New York."

Rice's words hit Peter like a slap in the face. Dreading the answer, he asked, "and did you find anything, Agent Rice?"

Again, Rice hesitated. Her actions were starting to annoy Peter. _Just get on with it_, thought Peter. If Neal was helping Taggert, even if it was years ago, then this changes everything he knows about the man. Neal has always been nonviolent, preferring brains over muscle. How he could possibly have been a part of Taggert's crimes did not make sense to Peter.

Rice seemed to read Peter's mind. "It is not what you are thinking. Caffrey is NOT a suspect in this." Peter let go of the breath he realized he was holding and felt his body relax. He noticed Jones and Diana also slump down a little, showing their relief as well.

"We were never able to track Taggert's movements until after he left a body and by that time he was long gone. There have been a few cases where bodies have never been recovered. So we started tracking Ellen Parker aka Marilyn Taggert's movements over the years and cross referenced them with unsolved missing children's reports that we suspected were linked to Taggert and we found this one coming from the early 1990's."

The picture of a young boy, no older than 5 or 6 in what looked like his a school photo appeared on the screen. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a bright smile showing a missing front tooth. The innocent smile on the boys' face made Peter smile for a moment until he remembered this child was most likely a victim of Taggert's; then he felt a sense of sadness over the child's fate and was once again reminded why he chose white collar crimes.

"We did an age progression of this boy to see what he would look like today, and guess what we found?"

The slide moved and suddenly the boy's picture moved to the left with computer rendered image of what the boy would look like today, 20 years later.

All movement in the room stopped as the agents stared at the screen. Peter felt his mouth go dry and his blood drop to his feet as he stared at an image of his CI on the screen next to a little boy thought dead 20 years ago.


	2. Chapter 2

Again, I don't own White Collar. I am just playing on their court.

Chapter 2

Peter felt as if he had been punched in the gut. Neal was a victim of Taggert? It didn't seem possible. First, no one survived once Taggert got a hold of them, so if Caffrey was taken how did he get out? Second, this boy was too young to be his CI. According to the DOB the child would be 25 years old, while Neal is close to 30. Third, surely if Neal had been subjected to Taggert he would have told someone by now? Wouldn't he?

"I am sure you have many questions, Agent Burke," Rice started, "and so did I. I didn't want to walk in here and start making accusations until I had more data. After more digging we found that 2 children were kidnapped on the same day in the St. Louis area, this child, Nicholas O'Neill, and a little girl, Tiffany Sanders disappeared from the same area on the same day. Tiffany's body was discovered in a shallow disturbed grave a little over 7 years later, but Nicholas's body was never found. When Tiffany was found forensics reported she had only been dead a few days, so she was alive the 7 years she was missing. Since the boy's body was never found, it was suspected that the body was destroyed prior to burial. There was blood discovered on the girl not belonging to her, and it was suspected to belong to Nicholas O'Neill and was officially declared dead at the same time. Next of kin of both children were notified."

"Wait, next of kin?" Peter jumped, "So his family is alive out there, thinking he is dead?"

"He was only 5 when he was kidnapped, Peter," Hughes spoke up kindly, "Children that young are just starting to learn their home address and parent's names and phone numbers, and after 7 years of being held captive…"

"…he didn't know where to go, right," Peter finished for Hughes. "That doesn't bring up the fact that this O'Neill would only be 25 years old today. Neal is older than that."

As the words left his mouth, doubt started to enter his thoughts. Did he look his age? There were times that Peter would refer to him as a kid because of the pout faces did resemble a teenager and not that of a grown man. Add that to the fact that Neal is one of the nation's top forgers and creating a birth certificate adding a few years to his life would not be beyond his range of abilities.

"Maybe," Rice answered, "but maybe not. He is a competent forger and could have easily made himself older when he arrived.

"Wait a minute! Peter," Jones addressed Peter looking distressed, "if this is Caffrey and that is his real age, he was only 16 when he forged and cashed in those bonds. He was a minor. He was barely drinking age when he started working with us."

Hughes spoke up when Peter's face paled further at the implication. "Yes, if this is Caffery, then we will be opening Pandora's box on all his crimes since we have to take into account his age, but we will get to that later. First, we have a child missing, and from the looks of it, Caffrey may know something about Taggert that can help us get her back."

"The trouble will be approaching Caffrey," Rice continued, "If he is this little boy, he was held hostage by Taggert for 7 years of his life. We have no idea what he was subjected to in those 7 years. We only know his blood was found on the victim so he was with her when she died or after. I did a DNA match and the blood on Tiffany Sanders matches to Neal Caffrey. It is him, Peter."

Again the room was silenced by the revelation. There was no doubt, Nicholas O'Neill was Neal Caffrey. Suddenly bells started going off in his head; O'Neill=Neal, Nicholas= Nick Halden, his first alias. He was angry, horrified, and disgusted all at once. He didn't know whether to go drag his CI in and punch him for keeping this information from him or hug him for what he had most likely lived through.

Hughes sighed and addressed Peter. "I think it would be best Peter, if you led this discussion with Neal. He trusts you and it may be better coming from you. But we have to deal with this now. If Ellen Parker was made, it is possible Neal could be too which means his life could be in danger. He is not your CI on this one. He is a witness and victim and that is all. I have offered Rice our assistance since I know you would want to help knowing the situation."

"Damn right we would" muttered Diana and Jones, still looking sick from the news.

Neal sat at his desk pretending to look at mortgage fraud cases, but his attention was on the meeting taking place in the conference room without him. He was itching to know what was going on and started thinking that maybe he would get a bug from Mozzie to plant in the room so he could listen in from now on. He knew of several places that no one would notice. It bugged him because he hasn't been left out of a meeting, and from the looks of it, it is a big meeting. Rice is back from missing persons and even Hughes is present and looking more grumpy than normal.

After watching the room for a while, he sighed and tried to focus on the reports on his desk. The more he tried to read the more distracted he got. Between thinking about Ellen's death and the meeting, he couldn't help but feel a sense of doom. He is not usually one to have premonitions, but he does consider his gut instincts to be pretty sharp. His gut was telling him something was up. He just didn't know if it had to do with Ellen's death or with the meeting.

As with any time he thought of Ellen's death, memories of his life with her slowly started to seep through the carefully constructed wall he built for himself over the years when he came to New York. Ellen supported him when he had no one, when he was no one. She helped him create an identity for himself and comforted him when he was at his lowest point. He was confident that he would not have survived this long without her support in those early years, and now that she is gone he is regretting the years he spent away from her more than ever. He thought he was protecting her by keeping away, but instead he left her alone for years, and now he has not chance to make it up to her.

Shutting down that line of thought, he shook his head to refocus himself. Mortgage fraud suddenly looked a lot more interesting than reminiscing about the past. He was about halfway through a file when he heard his name called. He looked up and saw Peter, giving him the 2 finger point. His face looked angry and Neal started thinking about what he possibly could have done now. He slowly walked up the steps and entered the conference room behind Peter. All faces in the room turned to him as the door closed, and suddenly Neal felt a strong desire to run if only Peter would let go of the door.

"Sit down, Neal." Peter said, and he knew something was wrong.

Swallowing and trying to calm the gut feeling of doom, he took a seat at the end of the table facing the other agents. It felt like an interrogation, with all eyes on him. What did they think he did now?

Peter sat down next to Neal, while Neal noted one of the agents he didn't' recognize stood and went to stand by the door, blocking it. Now Neal KNEW something was wrong.

"Okay, whatever it is, I didn't do it. Check my anklet." Peter gave a small laugh at Neal's comment.

"You are not being accused of a crime today, Neal. Quite the opposite in fact. We think you may have been the victim to one and we need your help to solve it."

This confused Neal. "I don't recall being conned by anyone. Are you sure about this Peter? Why is agent bulldog blocking the door if I am not a suspect?"

Peter sighed in frustration. "Neal, I have no idea how to ask you about this but we need to know about your relationship with Ellen Parker."

Warning bells were going off in Neal's head. Missing persons present and questions about Ellen Parker. No. Way. They couldn't have made any connection to him.

Neal gave what he hoped was his patented grins, "I think she was a little old for me Peter" he replied, trying to stall until he figured out what was going on.

Peter was not amused. "Fine. If you don't want to talk about Ellen Parker, perhaps you can tell me about Nicholas O'Neill."

Confusion and fogginess filled Neal's brain as he tried to remember that name. He knew it from somewhere but it wasn't one that stood out from anything. His confusion must have been clear on his face because Peter didn't push it.

Peter sighed again. He did really not want to do it this way but Neal was being stubborn and not answering questions so he felt he had to take it to the next level, "Neal, your DNA was found on a body found 13 years ago outside of St. Louis, MO. Do you recognize her?"

A picture of the little girl at age 5 (the last living picture) appeared on the monitor. Neal took one look at it and immediately recognized the girl. He felt his heart pound in his chest and suddenly felt like the walls were closing in on him. He knew he was sweating bullets by now and he could tell by the general looks of concern he was receiving he wasn't looking too well either.

He wanted to look away from the monitor but found he couldn't stop staring at the little girl's face. The walls he so carefully built around his memories started spurting leaks and it looked like they were going to collapse at any moment. He felt like he was in a tunnel and as he saw the blackness take over his vision, he heard Peter call his name.


	3. Chapter 3

Don't own anything.

BTW, I have not abandoned my other story. Real life happened and now things are settling down. This story just popped up and I needed to get it down so I can focus on my other story. Will hopefully update soon.

Chapter 3

_2 children were sitting in a cellar, the only light coming from a wide crack on the side of the door. They were taking turns peaking out at the sunny day beyond the door._

_The little boy was taking his turn and looked through the hole. He saw grass and trees and could hear some insects buzzing around the area. He thought he could hear water nearby, but maybe he was just imagining that. Either way, it looked like a beautiful day and he longed to go out and run around feeling the grass on his feet and maybe even climb the tree he could see. It looked sturdy enough to hold him. And if he did fall, maybe it would be all the better._

_Sighing, the boy stepped away from the door to give the little girl a turn. He sat back down on the dirty old mattress, his happy mood from seeing the outdoors ruined by the thoughts that popped in his brain. It had been a while since he thought about death, and he knew he shouldn't think thoughts like that, but sometimes he couldn't help it. He wondered if it was normal for kids his age to think of dying as often as he did, which led to the wondering once again at how old he is, a topic of conversation he and the girl have often. He thought he was 10…it sounded like a good round number. He has been 10 for a while though, so maybe he is 11 now? _

_He watched as the girl peered through the hole, apparently getting more enjoyment at the sights than he did. He could see her outline by the door, but because it was completely dark in the cellar as long as she was blocking the light he couldn't see anything else. Eventually she backed away from the door and shuffled over to him to sit on the mattress. They sat in silence for a while before she spoke._

"_What do you want to be when you grow up?" she asked. How she could still ask such an innocent question amazed the boy. He had long ago given up any hopes of anything more than the immediate reward for good behavior or a special privilege when Master was in a good mood. He shrugged his shoulders even though he knew she couldn't see him._

"_I dunno. You?"_

"_I want to plant flowers. Pretty ones. Then when they grow I will pick them and make them look pretty for people to make their houses look nice and smell good. That sounds like fun."_

_The boy grunted in response, not knowing what else to say. He wanted to tell her that dreaming of a future of working with flowers was pointless because they were never getting out of their situation except in a body bag so quit wasting her time dreaming of something that will only make her sad, but he couldn't do that to her. They had so little to smile about and he didn't want to take it away from her. Humoring her instead, he replied,_

"_I want to fly. Maybe I will learn to fly a plane someday and travel all over the world."_

_He heard the girl shift next to him, and he started to prepare himself for the 20 questions he knew were coming, when the door suddenly flung open and the cellar was filled with the bright light from the sun. Instinctively he covered his eyes having been used to sitting in the dark. He heard footsteps and felt a hand grab his collar and pull him out into the sun._

"_Okay brats," he heard the man say as they stepped out of the cellar, "my guests are gone so you can come back in the house. I swear the next time she comes to visit and stays more than a day I will just kill her and get it over with. I lost 2 days of business with you two in the cellar."_

_The boy, having adjusted to the sunlight, looked in shock at Master. He didn't know who Master was talking about and really didn't care. All he could process was that they had been in that cellar 2 days. No wonder his thoughts were getting darker…he learned a long time ago that the longer he stayed locked up in the dark the more negative and hopeless he felt. He almost preferred his more violent clients over the cellar. At least he had 'Little Miss' with him this time to help keep the darkness from becoming too overwhelming. 'Little Miss' was Master's name for the girl, and since neither of them remembered their names anymore, that is what he called her too. He was simply 'Boy.'_

_Sighing in relief to be out of the cellar, he almost missed the door as it swung open to allow him and Little Miss back into the giant house. They immediately headed to their rooms in the basement to get ready for the day. For the first time in 2 days Boy felt hopeful. He knew he would be allowed to take a shower, a HOT shower, since they spent 2 days in a dirty old cellar and they needed to look nice for when the clients arrived later that evening. Who cares about the future, he mused as he headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up. He preferred more immediate things, like hot showers. Maybe he will even be allowed some food…now that's something to be happy about. _

_Stepping into the shower he thought he heard someone call out. "Neal! Neal!" Briefly he wondered who Neal was before he shrugged it off. As he turned on the water and the fog filled the room from the hot water the voices became louder and he started to feel dizzy. Before he could register what was happening he felt like he was falling off a cliff into the fog._

"Neal! Neal! Come on buddy, wake up!"

Peter looked around at the other agents in the room, looking for suggestions on what to do. Agent Stark from missing persons already went out to get a first aid kit, hoping smelling salts would bring him to. Agent Rice knelt on Neal's other side watching the CI. He appeared to be sleeping, but Rice knew that the girl's picture unleashed some repressed memories that assaulted his mind, causing it to shut down. She had seen it happen a few times in her career, and the person usually woke up a lot worse off having remembered events they wished they hadn't.

Peter was getting scared for his friend. Overpowering guilt filled him as he accepted that HE caused Neal to have this breakdown. He pushed him too hard. Of course he would have repressed some memories of Taggert. Who wouldn't? He wished he could forget what he did know and that was just from reports and pictures of crime scenes. To live it as a child…Peter shook off the thoughts and focused on Neal again.

Agent Starks came back in the room, first aid kit in hand. It turned out that they didn't need it as a moan filled the room as Neal slowly awoke. Peter placed his hand on Neal's shoulder in hopes that he would recognize it as comfort and not as a restraint. Trying to encourage him to wake up, Peter called for him again. Rice backed away slightly so Neal would only see Peter. Hopefully the sight of a friendly face will help him regain his bearings faster.

Neal felt like he spent too long on one of those amusement park rides as nausea and dizziness hit him as he became aware of his surroundings. He realized he was lying down. Did he fall in the shower? Wait, that couldn't be right. He was clothed. No, he wasn't in the basement any more; he was on the 21st floor of the FBI headquarters in New York. He is Neal Caffrey. Feeling much better having remembered who and where he was he slowly opened his eyes despite the nausea and saw his handler kneeling over him. Instinctively he tried to sit up quickly, which he realized he couldn't do because Peter had his hand on his shoulder, holding him down.

"Easy, Neal," Peter said as calmly as he could, "you passed out. Give yourself a minute and let the dizziness pass."

Not feeling up for a fight, Neal listened and stayed down on the floor. The longer he remained there, however the more embarrassed he became as he remembered that he passed out in a room full of FBI agents who were probably all still sitting there looking at him. He was never going to live this down.

"I'm okay," Neal mumbled as he slowly sat up. He gratefully accepted Peter's help as he moved to a sitting position, keeping his hand on his shoulder as the sudden movement caused another wave of dizziness to hit him. He must have groaned because the next thing he knew Diana was kneeling next to him with a cup of water. He gratefully accepted it and drank it down, trying to process what happened now that his mind was settling down. Peter, seeming to notice Neal was coming back to his senses, said

"Think you can move to a chair? I think we need to have a talk about what just happened."

Neal nodded and accepted Peter and Diana's help up as he moved to the chair. He noticed Agent Rice going back to her chair (when did she get up?) and looked around a little confused. Why was he here again? He remembered being called up here but not much after…

His eyes moved to the screen and he once again saw the picture of the adorable little girl who was his only friend for so many years. He remembered why he was called up and realized passing out spoke louder than any words that yes, he knew this little girl. Fear and dread filled him as he realized he now knows what Peter was referring to about needing to talk about what just happened. He wants to know everything. And being Peter, he won't stop until he gets it. Groaning again he put his head in his hands and rested his elbows on the table, not caring that he was surrounded by FBI agents who had never seen Neal this upset. He was beyond that now. They were going to find out his entire life was a giant con. He had fooled himself into believing this was his life, and for more than a decade, it was true. His shoulders started shaking with laughter as he remembered Mozzie's words about how all cons have an expiration date and Neal Caffrey just reached his.

Peter wasn't sure what to make of Neal's behavior. He had never seen him act this way, even with all the drama with Kate, he was still able to talk. He watched Neal's shoulders shake and since he can't see Neal's face, he assumed Neal is crying. He places his hand again on Neal's shoulder, hoping to comfort him, when Neal suddenly jerks out of his grasp and looks Peter in the eye. No tears were visible to Peter's relief but the sad laugh coming from Neal was worse than any tear.

"Neal?"

"You asked me if I recognized her," Neal replied to Peter his nudging his head towards the direction of the picture on the screen. "Yeah, I know her. She was my only friend as a child. I watched him rape and kill her before he shot me. Next thing I know I am laying in a potato sack with her body surrounded by dirt. I dug my way out and ran and never looked back."


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own White Collar. This is all for fun.

2 Chapters in one day…go me. Procrastination from real life at its best!

Chapter 4

Silence filled the small conference room as the impact of Neal's words hit home. Neal was shot and buried with this girl. How did he survive? Peter was once again mentally connecting the dots that is Neal Caffrey and now fully understood where his aversion to guns originated. To be shot as a child, buried with another child and left for dead…that would be quite the trauma.

Hughes sat in the back of the room observing the scene from afar. Initially he wondered if Caffrey was faking the entire fainting episode to either avoid discussing his past with Taggert, but seeing him now, still shaking and pale yet offering information, he shut down his initial impressions. Caffrey was a mystery to Hughes. He liked him well enough, as much as he liked any CI that has worked under his command, but Caffrey is so good at conning someone who it almost seemed like he was born a con and it was his only nature. Every smile always seemed to have a secret behind it that Hughes couldn't figure out, and he worried about Burke over the years getting too close to him when it wasn't clear if Neal was sincere about his rehabilitation or was pulling the long con.

There was nothing of that con man sitting at the end of the conference room table now. In his place sat a frightened young man who had clearly witnessed more horrors than even Reece in all his years of service could imagine. He realized that the con man WAS the con. Neal's façade and behaviors became the ultimate con, except the victim was himself.

After promising himself that he would spend more time dwelling on these conclusions later, he spoke up to get the meeting back on track.

"Neal, I understand this is very difficult for you to discuss and I imagine you never thought you would have to face this again, and I am sorry we are asking you to. But there is a little girl missing and we only have a short window before he disappears with her and the next time we see her will be after she is killed. Anything you can give us to give us a starting point would be helpful."

Neal jerked his head when Hughes began speaking. He nodded his head, grateful to be discussing anything other than his own experience with Master, and considered Hughes's question.

"Do you have any information on the boy that was taken too?"

Agent Rice looked at Neal in confusion, "Neal, we just said a little girl went missing. 3 days ago. For all we know he already has moved her outside of the city."

Neal gave her an annoyed look. "I heard you the first time. He takes them in pairs and usually from the same general area. As for moving, he is probably still here in the city. He will lay low with them for a while until things calm down. It gives him time to scare them into listening to him and time to break them in. By the time he takes off with them, they will walk by his side without question and to anyone who didn't know any better he will look like their guardian."

Neal snapped his mouth shut as he remembered his own orientation to life with Master. Before he could get too lost in the memory he felt a strong hand on his arm and heard his name called. Peter was right in his face trying to get his attention.

"There you are. Good. Stay with us. So he will take another child? We can work with that. The team will start checking into any missing person report for the last week. Is there anything else you can tell us? Will he take them to a warehouse or a hotel?"

Neal sighed and tried to focus on the here and now instead of the memories that were assaulting his consciousness. "I remember I was in a house like set up, but it was off. There were no windows to show me where I was. I would search warehouses and boarded up homes. There was nothing run-down about the inside of the place, so maybe check any areas where some major interior renovation is going on; he sets the stage very well. He will want to show his new acquisitions off and will auction them off to the highest bidder. Only a select few of his most prestigious clients are invited to that." He said the last two sentences with disgust.

"Auction them off? He sells them off?" questioned Jones.

"He is only auctioning them off for a night," answered Neal after a slight pause. "He is auctioning off their innocence."

Peter had to swallow the bile that worked its way into his throat at Neal's last comment. More to stem off thinking about what will happen to the kids if they weren't found in time, Peter asked, "Neal, it is obvious that Ellen Parker was killed by Taggert or one of his cohorts. Either way, she was made. Is there any possibility that he knows you are alive and could ID him? We can move you to a safe house."

Neal's expression changed to one of fear as he considered the implications of Peter's question. "No, no one can know about me. Who outside of this room knows about…me?" Neal looked around the room frantically, the fear evident in his eyes.

Agent Rice spoke up, "Outside of the people in this room, just my supervisor. Neal, it's okay, we are going to find him."

Neal laughed but it was a fearful, half crazed laugh, "No, no, no, YOU don't understand. We hid for a reason. Ellen was an adult when we moved here so her appearance didn't change. Mine did, so I should be safe. She was killed after she came on to the FBI's radar a while back. Someone in the FBI or the Marshall's has to be working with him if he found her after all these years."

Neal's breathing became more erratic as guilt plagued him. He went to her to get the painting knowing the FBI could track him. By doing so, someone working with Master found her and reported back to him. It was his fault.

Peter knelt in front of Neal after seeing he was becoming hysterical. He tried to tell him no one in the FBI would help Taggert; that they wanted to see him go down. Neal started laughing again at the absurdity of Peter's statement. This time he couldn't stop.

Confusion swept the room as the Agents watched Neal laugh in disbelief at Peter's words. Peter became annoyed and in frustration asked what was so funny.

Catching his breath, Neal responded. "You all think the FBI is so innocent? Still? After Fowler and Kramer?"

Trying to help Peter out, Hughes spoke up, "Neal, those were difficult incidences, I agree; however this is a case that the FBI has wanted solved for decades. I cannot imagine any agent helping Taggert."

Neal shook his head, his laughter calming down. Tears were beginning fill his eyes as he remembered one of the worst days of his life. Worse than going to prison, losing Kate, or even losing Ellen.

"I don't share your optimism, sir," Neal replied as a single tear dropped down his cheek, "because the person who won **my **auction all those years ago had a FBI badge."

With that, Neal got up and made his way to the door of the conference room. No one had the heart to stop him as he walked across the office to the elevators and left. Peter simply pulled out his phone and began tracking the anklet, assuring the team he would watch him and they would reconvene later.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you for the reviews!

This chapter is going to seem a little off because we are reading the thoughts of characters as they try to process everything. As when any of us struggle through major revelations and decisions, our thoughts don't always flow or remain logical or consistent. We jump to emotional conclusions and embellish the details. Don't worry…clear thinking will take over again soon enough.

I don't own anything.

Chapter 5

2 hours after the disastrous meeting, Peter sat in his office with his fingers on his temples trying to fend off the headache trying to take over his mind. There was just too much for him to process and he didn't know where to begin.

_Neal Caffrey is Nicholas O'Neill. Neal Caffrey is 4 years younger than he portrayed himself to be, putting his conviction as well as his alleged crimes into a different ballpark of responsibility. _

Those were the easy thoughts; the thoughts that he could think about without pain. The bigger points were causing him the headache.

_Neal Caffrey lived for 7 years with Damon Taggert. Neal Caffrey was an abused child. Neal Caffrey was shot, buried and left for dead at 11. Neal Caffrey may be in danger and for once, he did nothing to do with it._

Groaning, Peter shook his head. His entire vision of the suave, controlled con man was irreparably changed today. He no longer saw Neal as just a talented con man. He was talented sure, but his talent was probably the result of torture from Taggert while in "training." Taggert's list of alleged crimes involved nearly every crime the United States can federally charge a person, including crimes that fell into white collar's jurisdiction. That was Hughes's justification for them keeping the case and working with missing person's anyway. Peter didn't care how they kept it, he just wanted to be the one to slap the cuffs on Taggert.

The poor kid never had a chance. Going home after his escape would have alerted Taggert and would have only resulted in him being killed, along with possibly his entire family. He was on his own from age 11. Except for Ellen Parker. Peter was confused to her role in all this. She was connected to Taggert somehow, but why Neal? Was she an ex-wife? Sister? Obviously someone who cared enough about Neal to keep him after his escape and maintain that relationship all the way up to her death. Only Neal could provide those answers, and he was still walking in circles at the park down the block. His anklet report shows him making circles around a park without stopping. Not running, but it is clear he is trying to think through something. More than once Peter considered joining him, but he wasn't sure if his presence would be recognized as a threat or support.

Peter heard a knock at his door as Hughes walks in. His expression is grave, but determined.

"Peter, Rice's people are looking through recent kidnappings and Barrigan and Jones are checking into recent warehouse construction permits. I am going to investigate Neal's accusation that someone inside made Parker. I have a few trusted contacts in DC that I am contacting, but until I hear from then, this case is a kidnapping and money laundering case. Rice agreed and I am sure you will too that Caffrey's name will remain out of it at least for the short-term. I don't want him at all involved in the case. Take him home. Arrange around the clock protection for him. I can arrange for our specialist to come see him to talk with him, but the priority is his safety. We will need to question him again, but we have enough to go for now."

Peter listened to his supervisor, grateful that he has taken such interest in this case. The plan sounded good to him, and he briefly wondered why he hadn't already had most of that in action by now, when Hughes expression changed to a look of sympathy as he sat across from Peter.

"Peter, I think this one may be a little too close for you. I know you want to catch him. Hell, I'll admit that I am longing to be the one to catch Taggert, putting a bullet in him if possible. But you are closer to Neal than anyone as far as we know. You need focus on him now. This was a shock for all of us today, but I think especially for you. Take him home. Be his friend. I will keep you updated."

Peter could only nod his head in gratitude as Hughes walked out of his office. He was right; he WAS too close to this. Neal was his best friend, his partner. He knew it was his own shock and emotion that slowed his reactions, and that thought made him uncomfortable. The only other time he felt this delayed in a case is right after Elizabeth was taken by Keller.

Neal had misled him all these years about his past. He said his father as a dirty cop, and Peter realized that was a pretty anticlimactic revelation coming from the con and left him alone hoping he would share more information with him over time. Annoyance filled him as he remembered all the times Neal would deflect questions about his past. He figured Neal was hiding his parents or friends or someone who he feared would be embarrassed at the way Neal turned out. But that wasn't the case. Everyone Neal knew as a child thought he was dead.

Standing up, Peter checked his phone again to see Neal no longer circling the park, but was heading towards his apartment at June's. Grabbing his jacket, he made a beeline towards the elevators to meet him there. Peter wanted answers, and Neal was going to give them to him.

Neal walked. He didn't see where he was going but he walked. Movement was good. He could pretend for a few moments he wasn't tethered to the FBI and could run far away from anything connected to the ocean of thoughts that are now free-flowing through his brain. Unwanted memories of late nights with drunk and abusive clients; late night talks with little miss as they comforted each other through their injuries and pain; beatings from Master for not mixing the ink right for official document forgeries or for taking artistic license while copying a masterpiece. All those thoughts culminated as he saw a bullet speed towards him, knocking him down, only to be awoken later wrapped with Little Miss surrounded by dirt…

Neal walked faster. That thought was too painful to think about. Maybe if he wore himself out the thoughts would go away. Running instead of walking tempted him, but he didn't want the Marshals to come running thinking he was trying to escape. He snorted at the thought of worrying about the Marshal's response when he could be long gone before they even caught wind of his departure. It just took a little money and a little help from Mozzie.

Oh god, Mozzie…what was Mozzie going to say about all this? He kept his past secret from everyone. Mozzie knew he had a bad childhood, but he didn't know anything about his link to Taggert or the training. Maybe he could get out of this without sharing the details with him. He was after all the one who spend years trying to convince him to go. Maybe it was time. Neal Caffrey is done, the alias burned.

His decision made, he switched directions to head towards June's mansion while sending a text to Mozzie to meet him there. He couldn't stay here anymore, not now that everyone knew what he did to survive as a child. Besides, now that his name is in the system Master would find him just like he did Ellen. Fear permeated all his senses as his thoughts reverted back to the scared kid who was just freed. The desperation of making it to a safe place. The wanting to go home.

But this was his home. Neal stopped on the side-walk as his mind repeated that sentence. This is his home. Peter, Elizabeth, Mozzie, and Sara. He loved his life and didn't want to leave it.

"Dammit!" he yelled as he kicked a trash can, startling a few pedestrians nearby. Why did they have to find out? Neal Caffrey had a good life here. Now he knew they would never see him as anything but a scared abused child and would pity him. He hated pity. He worked so long to keep the image of the confident ladies man that he actually fell for his own con. He really thought that he was Neal Caffrey, but that was a creation of Ellen and his imagination sitting in a shoddy apartment in Cleveland, Ohio. In reality he was nobody. Ellen knew his birth name, but he didn't want to know after he ran to the only place he remembered after all those years with Taggert (the small house on Caffrey street was the only memory he retained of his life pre-Master) to find a strange family with 3 young kids and no memory of a little boy taken from there. His family left. They abandoned him. He had nowhere to go until Ellen took him by the hand and started his new life. He never looked back...until now.

Neal walked across the street from June's house and saw Peter's car parked outside. He knew Mozzie was inside and wondered if Peter had said anything to him yet. Thoughts of running briefly entered his mind, but he pushed them aside. He didn't want to talk through the memories, but suddenly he wanted his friends. Maybe they can fix this and make it go away.

Before he could change his mind, Neal ran up the stairs towards his apartment.


End file.
